friend zone

noun
/ˈfɹɛnd zəʊn/UK/ˈfɹɛnd zoʊn/US

Etymology

Popularized in a 1994 episode of the American sitcom Friends.

Definitions

  1. The situation in which one is viewed by a potential partner as a platonic friend, which…

    The situation in which one is viewed by a potential partner as a platonic friend, which complicates the initiation of a romantic relationship.

    • Every platonic friend I got is some woman I was tryin' to fuck, I made a wrong turn somewhere, and ended up in the friend zone.
    • Once in a while, you will find yourself stuck in the friend zone. Don't panic, you are not alone.
    • “Stuck in the Friend Zone,” said Sasha wisely, although I don't think she's dipped a toe in the Friend Zone in her life.
  2. To classify (someone) as a friend, without any possibility of a romantic relationship.

    • The bloke tries to get her attention back, but I've friendzoned him. Poor guy. I do feel bad for the ones who have to try so hard.
    • While being friendzoned is not a problem, what can be a problem is if it's not clear to both people that ONLY friendship and nothing more is on offer.

The neighborhood

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for friend zone. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA